Lady Apaches prepared for title bout

POTTSVILLE — For the Pottsville Lady Apaches softball team, there's nothing surprising about playing for a state championship. The Lady Apaches have, after all, played for a title three years in a row.

Pottsville defeated the Nashville Lady Scrappers in 2017 to win the Class 4A state championship, fell to Bauxite Lady Miners in 2018 and will get another shot at glory at 3 p.m. on Friday at Bogle Park as they take on the Farmington Cardinals.

"We'll have only one freshman on the field, so every other girl out there will have been to the finals before," Lady Apaches head coach Shannon Lasey said. "They know what it takes to win it, and losing last year gives them a sense of urgency. For a couple of my seniors who play a major role on the team, this is their last go-round. They want to go out with a bang."

That's not to say there's no pressure. Fortunately, Hill said Pottsville thrives on pressure. In fact, the team views it as a privilege.

"They play better when the pressure is on," Hill said. "I brought in a couple of speakers to talk to the girls before Monday's semifinal game. Jessie Van Es spoke to them, and she quoted Billie Jean King, 'Pressure is a privilege,' and it resonated with the girls.

"It is very nerve-wracking to play for state. Even the best players can lose focus because the crowd is going crazy and you're playing in a college stadium, but it's a privilege to be in that position. A lot of teams wish they were."

The Lady Apaches have played for a title three years in a row and made the final four years in a row. Hill played in a state championship game in 2006 when she was at Nettleton High School in Jonesboro. Hill's team didn't win, but she knows what her girls are experiencing.

Five against Morrilton

Pottsville lost to the Morrilton Devil Dogs four times this season and beat them only once. The Lady Apaches beat Morrilton 5-3 on Monday to earn their spot in Friday's state championship game. Hill said she wasn't worried before the game, even though the series record wasn't in her favor.

"Nobody beats us five times," she told her husband. "It's absolutely impossible."

It took a little doing though, Hill said. The Lady Apaches adjusted their lineup and coaching style in an attempt to get the win.

"The fourth time we played them, we changed our lineup and tried a different pitcher," Hill said. "We knew our lineup was working, so in the fifth game we went back and started our ace pitcher. She's a better starter than a closer, and it made a big difference."

How did they change their lineup? They moved their power hitters to the front of the line. Traditional thinking puts your big hitters batting third or fourth, but Hill said those three-and-four-spot hitters were generating all their runs.

"We wanted to get them as many at-bats as possible, so we put them at the top of the batting order," Hill said. "Sadie Saul got a whole extra at-bat because of this change. We moved Sadie from the three spot up to the one spot and left Abby Cain at two because she's a triple threat and gets on base all the time. We moved Sophia Hampton from four to three and put Kayli Pennington right behind her.

"If they walk Sophia, the next batter right behind her has three or four home runs on the year."

Hill said her only regret is that she didn't figure it out a little earlier.

"It all came together against Morrilton," she said. "And those girls wanted it so bad. They could have done it without the coaches there."

A look at Farmington

Pottsville lost to the Cardinals 5-0 on May 4 in the 4A-North Regional Tournament in Farmington.

"The last time we played them, we knew going in they could hit well," Hill said. "Everyone told us they could hit one through nine. They were playing on their home field, and they definitely had home field advantage."

The Lady Apaches gave up eight hits, collected six hits and committed three errors during the loss.

Still, Hill is confident about Friday's game.

"I feel like the last game was a step in a good direction for our pitcher, Shannon Lasey," she said. "We had heard how powerful they were, so I didn't feel like she did terrible. We are for sure going to have to be on fire on the mound. Our pitcher is going to have to throw lights out. It's a lot of pressure."

A matter of fives

Already, you've read the number five a few times in this story. Hill said the number seems to be following the team lately.

In the state tournament, the Lady Apaches defeated Southside Batesville 5-2, Bauxite 5-1 and playing Morrilton for the fifth time picked up a 5-3 win.

Friday's game marks Pottsville fifth-ever state championship appearance, in the fifth month of the year. A local pastor reminded the girls David prepared five stones to slay Goliath.

"I'm not a superstitious person at all, but I do believe that God orchestrates things in the most magical ways," Hill said. "Win or lose, this has been an amazing year. At some points, it has felt like a roller coaster. We talked every game about the right time to peak, and they have kept their eye on the prize, even when we hit some rough patches. When it came time to fight, they fought with all they had. It has not been luck."

Pottsville's game against Farmington is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at Bogle Park.

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The Courier - Your Messenger for the River Valley in Russellville, AR.MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use of or republication of all the local news printed in this newspaper as well as AP news dispatches.